According to a NPPA official, the amendment will facilitate uniform pricing for existing and new manufacturers for similar formulations.

“The drug pricing body seeks to hold drug companies and medicine retail outlets more accountable to patients through its new app. Retailers and manufacturers will come to know that they cannot take consumers for granted,” Bhupendra Singh, the NPPA Chairman, told ET.

“This will also eliminate chances of manipulation by existing companies by way of launching new companies; or new manufacturers, to launch new drug by tweaking the composition of scheduled formulations just to escape price control,” he said.